1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-taking apparatus, an image-taking method, and an image-taking program which records a file of the data of the taken image (image data) on a storage medium with a file number given to the image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image-taking apparatus such as a digital camera, a large amount of image data can be recorded and saved on a high capacity removable storage medium in recent years. For this reason, a filing system is important for determining what kinds of file naming rule and folder configuration are used to record data.
For example, organizing taken images at a later time requires a file naming rule which defines the order of image-taking, and classifying images by scenes or dates of image-taking requires a folder configuration which allows taken images to be recorded separately for each folder. In addition, the use of serial numbers in each camera enables specific file names to be given to files even when a folder for saving the files is changed or a recording medium is replaced.
However, each camera has conventionally employed its own filing system to present a problem of compatibility when a storage medium used in a camera is to be used in another camera.
To address the problem, JEIDA (Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association) has set the DCF (Design rule for Camera File system) standard in which folder numbers and file numbers are introduced to folder and file naming rules, thereby allowing filing which achieves the aforementioned functions and solving the problem of compatibility. Most of recent digital cameras comply with the DCF standard.
The file naming rule with numbering, however, involves a limitation on numbers. For example, the DCF standard defines a format in which a folder name is represented as “***FOLDER” (*** is a folder number and a three-digit numeral from 100 to 999), and a file name recorded in the folder is “IMG_####.JPG” (#### is a file number and a four-digit numeral from 0001 to 9999). Thus, they have limitations on the numbers of folders and files which can be created.
Specifically, when files with file numbers up to 9999 are created in a folder, no file number is available in the folder and no further image can be taken.
To address this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-177646 proposes a camera having a function of defining the number of files which can be created in one folder and automatically creating the next folder to save files in the created folder when the defined number of files is exceeded. In the proposal, however, a folder for saving files is switched to the next one irrespective of the intention of a user, so that files cannot be saved in folders as desired by the user, for example for each scene or date of image-taking. In addition, since file numbers which can be assigned to files on one storage medium correspond to the number compliant with the DCF standard, the number of images which can be taken is limited.